A new selection from the national epic of India Originally composed in Sanskrit sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD, "The Mahabharata"-with one hundred thousand stanzas of verse-is one of the longest poems in existence. At the heart of the saga is a conflict between two branches of a royal family whose feud culminates in a titanic eighteen-day battle. Exploring such timeless subjects as "dharma" (duty), "artha" (purpose), and "kama" (pleasure) in a mythic world of warfare, magic, and beauty, this is a magnificent and legendary Hindu text of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent.